Optimal Sequence-Dependent Job Scheduling of Packing Process with Multiple Non-Identical Machines in Tablet Production

Abstract:

The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in Thailand. GPO provides many medicinal products such as tablets and capsules to increase drug access to the Thai population through public hospitals and retail stores. Orders from these customers are accumulated and signal drug production. However, backorder shipments occur frequently and are estimated to worth about 180 million baths (or 6 million USD) a year. Initial study shows that the packing process behaves as a bottleneck, causing delays in the production and consequently to the drug shipments. The packing process utilizes multiple machines with different speeds and capacities. Moreover, instead of setup time in other manufacturing processes, drug production including the packing process requires a clearance process after each job—which is critical in pharmaceutical industry to reduce the risk of cross-contamination between drugs. The clearance time depends on the drug type of the next job. This paper presents a problem of job scheduling using parallel non-identical machines with sequence dependent clearance times. The objective is to minimize the total makespan. The mathematical model of the problem is a mixed integer/binary program. A numerical example from actual packing jobs is used to illustrate its application and solved by Excel Solver software.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 548-549)
• Pages: 1046-1050
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.548-549.1046
• Online since: April 2014
• Authors: Atit Sodsangaroonngam*, Charoen Soontravanich, Charoenchai Khompatraporn
• Keywords: Parallel Non-Identical Machines, Pharmaceutical Industry, Scheduling Problem, Sequence-Dependent Setup Times

References

[1] Allahverdi, C.T. Ng, T.C.E. Cheng and M.Y. Kovalyov: European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 187 (2008), p.985.

[2] E. Vallada and R. Ruiz: European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 211 (2011), p.612.

[3] C.A. Méndez, G.P. Henning and J. Cardá: Computer and Chemical Engineering, Vol. 24 (2000) p.2233.

[4] L. Venditti, D. Pacciarelli and C. Meloni: European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 202 (2010), p.538.

[5] M. Chitmetha, S. Prombanpong, and T. Somboonwiwat: International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications, Vol. 4 (2013) p.241.

[6] H. Stefansson, S. Sigmarsdottir, P. Jensson and N. Shah: European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 215 (2011), p.383.